Free-agent analysis: NT position contingent on what Cowboys do with Jay Ratliff

1/5

Tom Fox / Staff Photographer

2. Josh Brent - This 22 year old supplemental pick is someone you need to get to know. He is playing more and more these days and at 320 pounds is the proper size to play NT in the 3-4 if the Cowboys do finally decide to properly move Ratliff to a spot where he isn't being worn down by the constant double teams. Brent did not play football in 2009, so he may develop a bit slower, but by next year, I would like to think that he is a part of a NT rotation that can hold its own. The Cowboys seem pretty happy with this young man.

If Jay Ratliff were overcome by fatigue after last season, he would have been forgiven. Last season, he played 733 snaps — more than any other defensive lineman — while manning one of the most challenging positions in the 3-4 alignment.

He did so while contending with offensive fronts that would routinely allocate two blockers to ward off Ratliff. It’s one of the reasons Ratliff finished the season with only 3 1/2 sacks, a total that was eclipsed by 92 NFL players.

Still, Ratliff is considered one of the best interior linemen in the league, as evidenced by his selection to his third consecutive Pro Bowl. But some wonder if he would be better playing on the edge. Ratliff (6-4, 303 pounds) doesn’t have the prototypical body type for a nose tackle. Would the Cowboys move him? They may consider it if Josh Brent continues to develop.

Last season, Brent, a traditional nose tackle, made 16 tackles in 257 snaps in his rookie season. He’s a promising talent the Cowboys’ brass likes. New defensive line coach Brian Baker didn’t rule out the possibility of deploying Brent and Ratliff simultaneously in coordinator Rob Ryan’s versatile scheme.

Whether Sean Lissemore will join them on the field is undetermined. He suffered a high-ankle sprain in the Cowboys’ loss to Green Bay last November and was placed on injured reserve in December. Lissemore, who made three tackles, played only nine snaps primarily as an end.

What the Cowboys should do: How the Cowboys address the nose tackle position is contingent upon what they do with Ratliff. Regardless, the team could improve depth through the draft, especially if management believes Ratliff or Lissemore is better suited at defensive end. The Cowboys also could explore the free-agency market. But there are other areas that have bigger needs.

Interesting fact: Ratliff, Brent and Lissemore were each seventh-round draft picks by the Cowboys.

On the roster

Player

Age

Josh Brent

23

Sean Lissemore

23

Jay Ratliff

29

Who’s available

Player

Team/school

Comment

Aubrayo Franklin

San Francisco

Made 39 tackles in 2010 as a 3-4 run-stopper

Brandon Mebane

Seattle

At 26, he’s good with potential to get better

Barry Cofield

NY Giants

Made 54 tackles, four sacks for NFC East rival

Shaun Rogers

Cleveland

Houston native played for Rob Ryan with Browns

Marcell Dareus

Alabama

Probably will be taken before Cowboys can pluck him

The schedule

The sixth in an 11-part series breaking down the Cowboys’ roster opportunity by position with free agency.

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